Mark Driscoll on Nightline the other night

To refer to Jesus as a "rebel" is to detach Him from actually being God. In order to be a rebel there would have to be a standard above Him. Jesus was, is, and always will be the standard for all things.

It also makes lite of rebellion and places it in a romantic setting that should be avoided. We should not place ourselves in the status of rebel as it denies God as being the ultimate authority. It is the world who oppose God who are the rebels and they rebel against the ultimate authority God.

Finding entertainment in being a rebel and placing Jesus in that status is juvenile.

 

Jesus was not a rebel, He was a reformer. A big difference obviously incomprehensible to a puerile understanding of the Gospel.

 

I agree. I like Driscoll, even tho some of his ways of explaining things and giving examples on things are a little out of the ordinary.

 

Jesus was a rebel.

Why do some want to domesticate him?

The Scribes and the Pharisees wanted to domesticate him just like some on this board are attempting to do.

They want to remake Jesus.

He was indeed a rebel.

The religious thought he was. How ironic!

 

the "religious" were not the true standard. God is, was, and always will be. Accusing Jesus of being a rebel is irreverent.

 

"Irreverent" according to whom?

 

For one to be a rebel, there must be an object to that rebellion.

Did Jesus "rebel" against the Father? NO.
Did Jesus rebel in anyway against God's own law? Certainly not.

Did Jesus rebel against the hypocrisy of the pharisees? Yes he did.

Some equate rebellion with sin.

If rebellion is to be defined as only one who rebels against lawful authority, then no, CHrist never did that.

But if it is proper to use the term "rebel" for a resistance to unlawful authority, then I suppose you could say that.

Also, Daniel "rebelled" against the king.

Any type of rebellion is a serious thing and not to be taken lightly.
Those that see cases in the Bible to make excuses for improper rebellion today are in sin and lack understanding.

 

Thank you for putting things into proper perspective.

Jesus was indeed a rebel.

 

Doesn't "rebel" carry negative connotations that should not be associated with Jesus?

 

Theologically, Jesus was not a rebel. The reality (from the Divine perspective) is that the majority of humankind is in rebellion against God, including most religious people of all backgrounds.

As a human, Jesus was a rebel because he thoroughly went against the religious and societal conventions of the day. From the human perspective, He seemed like a rebel since He did not participate in the rebellion against divine authority.

I don't like the idea of Jesus as a reformer, because I don't think Jesus was primarily interested in reforming the religious traditions of His day. He announced the Kingdom of God as something that began to be established in Him and through His followers. The old ways of thinking and acting were passing away in favor of the ways of the Kingdom.

Now, have I upset everyone? :laugh:

 

Jesus was a "radical".

 

It depends on the context, I say.

Jesus' defiance of the religious leaders of his day made him a type of rebel.

 

I don't particularly like this pastor's style but one thing he gets right. Jesus was the most radical man in all of history. I use radical not in any political sense but because he was so completely different from any man who lived before or who has lived since. The Pharisees were the conservatives of the day and were Jesus' worst enemies.

 

What or who's authority did Jesus rebel against?

 

So was William Wallace. That BraveHeart! One of my all-time favorites.

Jesus was indeed a radical.

 

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." 1 Sam 15.23

Jesus was not a rebel. He was always in submission to God, and responded to attacks with genius remarks, leaving the Pharisees speechless. He taught "as one with authority." While He did reject many cultural and religious teachings of the day, he was hardly what people today envision as a "rebel." The word "rebel" today usually conjures up an angry outsider fighting against the rules.

I think calling Jesus a rebel is a cheap way to appeal to young people and those who like to think Jesus would approve of their rebellious lifestyle.

 

The authority of the Pharisees and scribes that was seen in their human traditions.